Dawn was not welcome, but Gabe sat up in bed anyway. This time he waited for Alex to awaken. He stayed perfectly still as she gazed around wildly, hair askew, hand flaring red.
He smiled reassuringly and held up his hands, fingers bent at odd angles. When she saw his fingers, she breathed out and the red power from her hand died.
"We should return to the main house before the others awaken. Are you okay?" he asked.
Alex nodded and let him help her to her feet. As they walked out, Alex looked back at the little cabin. "What is this place?"
"An old hunting cabin. There are several on the grounds, but this one is in the best shape."
***
To Alex's dismay, everyone was awake when they reached the main house. Only Caleb and Rafe looked at them in innocence. But either the others were too discreet to say anything or the older Alex's warning glares kept them silent.
"Nice morning for a walk," the older Alex said firmly as she served breakfast, daring anyone to contradict her. "Are you hungry?"
Before they could answer, the phone lying on the counter rang. No one tried to answer it but the older Alex. She mostly listened, said a few terse 'yeses' and hung up.
"I must leave right now." She turned apologetic eyes on her guest. "I'm sorry I can't stay and talk longer, but it's urgent."
"Mom's in the FBI, like James Bond," Caleb said with pride.
"James Bond isn't in the FBI." Rafe's reply was scornful. "Mom's in the CIA, stupid. And we're not supposed to tell anyone."
"You just did. Besides, she must be okay or she wouldn't be able to stay," Caleb retorted.
"Stop fighting you two," the older Alex said. "Rafe, don't call your brother stupid."
"I wish you would stop taking assignments from these bozos," Rile said.
"Rile, let's not start this, I have to hurry."
The older Alex left for the bedroom. When she came out she was wearing nondescript black clothes, a more sedate version of Alex's own leather outfit.
"I'll see you later. I doubt this will take overnight. Bye." She kissed the two little ones as she rushed out.
***
The older Alex was wrong and ended up texting them that she would be gone three days.
Rile grumbled but reined in his rage when he saw his sons watching him with wide eyes.
Each night, Gabe and the younger Alex snuck to the cabin after Caleb and Rafe were in bed.
On the third morning, Gabe was awakened by Alex's shivering. He frowned as he wiped the sweat off her brow with his mangled finger.
She murmured and moaned so he kissed her forehead, cheeks, and neck until her eyes opened. Then he froze stock-still as she assessed her situation, her morning confusion worsened by fever.
When she looked at him, he held up his hands. The sight of the twisted fingers always reassured her and brought out her instincts to help him. She cupped his hands in hers and started a low level glow.
"Alex, you are hot even for a mammal. What is wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," she murmured and kissed his fingers.
"Ah, you're a clever one," he replied. "Trying to distract me. But your health takes precedence over my pleasure."
"Our pleasure," she said between kisses.
He pulled her close and wrapped her in his arms. He nibbled her neck and then said, "Tell me what's wrong, please, or I'll sic Rile on you."
"No, not that," she said in fake horror. "Anything but that."
"Then tell me or I shall taunt you a second time."
"Ah, my counterpart properly schooled you in Monty Python I see."
"Yes and please stop stalling. What did Morgan do to you that has made you sick?"
She stiffened in his arms. "No one said anything about him."
"Exactly. You won't speak of it, ergo, it must be Morgan. What did that monster infect you with?"
"Nothing!" Alex gasped. "It's the burn on my back. I haven't been able to clean it properly and it's infected now, that's all."
"That's all? I suspect not, but we will check with Cale."
"Must we?"
"We must."
"Now?" Alex ran a glowing hand up and down his chest.
Gabe smiled. "Now, O' Queen of Stalling."
Alex grumbled but got out of bed. Gabe frowned when he saw her nightshirt soaked and stuck to her back with sweat and yellowish drainage.
She shivered again, deprived of the warmth of the bed, and Gabe gently draped his spare shirt over her shoulders. They walked together to the main house, Alex leaning on Gabe, his arm around her waist.
When they opened the door to the kitchen, Cale stood at the sight of them, while Caleb, Rafe, and Rile, seated at the kitchen table, stared at them.
"Aunt Alex is sick," Caleb declared.
"How do you know?" Rafe flicked his spoon at him, spattering him with cereal and milk. "You're not a human healer."
Before Caleb could respond, Rile said, "Son, hold your sharp tongue and run twenty laps from the house to the cabin by the pond."
Rafe stomped out and slammed the door behind him.
"Please come into the guest bedroom," Cale told Gabe and Alex. "I use it as my impromptu healing tent. Caleb, what do you think would be good for Aunt Alex to drink?"
He smiled so kindly at the boy that Alex smiled involuntarily.
Caleb mulled it over, stroking his small muzzle in such a serious way that Alex was tempted to laugh, but she wouldn't hurt the boy's feelings.
"Mimosa?" he asked.
"It's an infected burn," Gabe said.
"You would be right, Caleb," Cale said with encouragement, "If this were regular healing, but this is more serious, more painful. Worse than a broken arm."
"Oh." Caleb's face grew solemn. "That means vodka. I think it can be poured in orange juice, too."
"Correct. Humans call it a Screwdriver. Please pour one third vodka and two thirds orange juice in a juice glass and meet us in the spare bedroom." Cale motioned Alex and Gabe towards the hallway towards the bedrooms.
"I'll wait outside for Rafe once he's done running." Rile stood and made his way to the door. "Call me if you need me."
Gabe ushered Alex to the guest bedroom, rubbing her arm when she shivered. Cale followed, watching Alex closely.
Once in the bedroom, Alex sat on the bed. Cale rummaged around in cabinets and drawers, pulling out gauze and cleansers and other supplies. Caleb entered, holding a glass of like a trophy.
"Healing strong," he said, handing it with care to Alex.
"Thank you," she said. "Very impressive. Would your mom be proud?" She cast a quizzical glance at Cale and then Gabe.
"Of course," Cale replied with a smile. "When we return home to Olam, we won't have use of pain medications. I will teach our vintners how to distill vodka, however."
"Good idea." Alex slammed back the orange juice and vodka.
"Wow," Caleb said in a small voice. "Mom doesn't drink like that."
"Caleb," Gabe chastised. "Aunt Alex has suffered more—"
"Don't fuss at him," Alex said lightly. "He's observant, like a future healer or Guardian should be." She winked at the boy, who had started clacking his claws nervously.
"True, but tact is important as well. Now, please lay face down on the bed." Cale gestured to the double bed with its orange and pink flowered coverlet and ruffles.
He frowned as he surveyed the back of the shirt soaked with sweat and yellowish drainage. "Caleb, please pour the pink cleansing fluid on a four by four gauze and hand it to me. I'll dab the area to help loosen this drainage from the wound before we take the shirt off."
"Burns need debridement." Calm Alex surfaced again, as she usually did around medical issues, a tantalizing hint of what she had been before. "Rip off the T-shirt and you've done one level of debridement right there."
"What's 'dee-breed-mint?" Caleb asked. "And that would hurt."
"The removal of dead tissue or debris from a wound," Calm Alex replied. "Burns are notorious for needing multiple debridements. And yeah, it hurts. My own fault for letting it get this bad."
"The only one at fault here is Morgan," Gabe said with heat and Alex flinched at the name. "Here, hold my hands."
"No, I'll hurt them."
Gabe knelt my the bed and touched his forehead to Alex's. "Then hold my forearms. That will not hurt me."
"The principle is sound," Cale said and grasped the bottom of her shirt. "I'll take it off as slowly and gently as I can."
"No, please take it off quickly," Alex replied. "Hurts less that way. At least, I think so. I'm a 'rip the bandage off' person, not 'peel it off carefully' type."
"If you say so." Cale took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the shirt, and yanked it up.
Alex yelped with pain, squeezing Gabe's arms, as he kissed her hands.
Cale shook his head as he saw the dragon shaped burn, the edges with blackened, dying tissue, the middle a sea of yellow and green bubbling pus with islands of red flesh.
Caleb whimpered and Cale hugged him.
"You can go now," he told the boy.
"No, I want to help."
"Please fix another Screwdriver then,"
"Promise I can help after that? I love Aunt Alex too."
"Of course. Now hurry with that drink, please."
Caleb darted out. Gabe kissed Alex's tears off her cheeks before lifting his head for a look. He hissed in anger.
"I'll flay the skin off Morgan for that," Gabe said,
"No! He has double implants now," Alex said. "One set from my timeline's Morgan when Rile beheaded him in addition to his own."
"There's a timeline jumping Morgan?" Gabe asked in horror and he and Cale exchanged solemn looks.
"Well, I jumped timelines," Alex said. "Have y'all not heard of it?"
Caleb raced back in with the drink, sloshing a little out. Alex propped up on her elbows to accept it and drink it.
"After you first appeared, I consulted one of my ancient history texts," Cale said. "Alternate timelines are told as children's stories: mythology. There was only one hero who could jump timelines: Moaz, meaning Rock. The Adversary wanted to gain power by coalescing two timelines and harvesting the resulting explosion. Moaz was Called and he was able to stop the key events in both timelines to stop the coalescence. There hasn't been any timeline jumpers since. I don't know why."
"Do you think The Adversary is thinking of doing the same thing and that's why Alex is here?" Gabe asked.
"Do you think that Morgan is here?" Caleb shuddered.
"I hope so," Gabe said. "I owe him an execution."
"I need another drink." Alex lay back on the bed and covered her head with a pillow as intrusive memories of Gabe being shot by Morgan rushed into her head: Gabe gasping for breath, the blood from the bullet wound in his chest...The roaring of a short circuit built in her brain and Alex pressed her hands against her temples, tears flowing down her cheek.
"Alex, I'm sorry I brought him up," Gabe said. When she didn't answer, he nuzzled under the pillow against her. "Alex, please." When the silence grew, he said, "I need your help, Alex. My hands hurt."
"What?" The pillow slipped off.
Cale nudged his nephew and whispered, "Watch, listen, and learn."
"My hands," Gabe continued, "I need your help. They're throbbing so much."
Alex's hands glowed a soft white and she covered his hands with hers. He snuck up on the bed next to her, arm by arm, leg by leg, and cuddled close, careful not to touch her back.
He started kissing his way up her shoulder to her neck and ear, which he nibbled. He inhaled sharply when her tide of pain and confusion crashed over him, but his wall of devotion never wavered.
"There, there," he whispered, "All is being made right. One day all will be restored. Thank you for helping my hands."
"Your hands?" she sniffed through her tears. "Oh! Your hands! I'm here." She said the last word with relief. "With my Gabe."
"Yes, your Gabe."
Cale nudged Caleb again, and the boy hugged him.
"We'll come back later and dress the wound. I'll show you the burn cream I ordered when Aunt Alex first appeared and showed her burn to us."
***
A/N
Was it a satisfying chapter or are things moving too slowly? It's hard for me to tell.
Thanks to Cocosghost
for her unflagging support!